Ramleela Performance Turns Fatal as Actor Suffers Cardiac Arrest Onstage

The Ramleela in Chamba was marred by tragedy when an actor portraying King Dashrath, Amresh Mahajan, died of a heart attack while performing. The incident happened on Tuesday evening at the Chaugan Ground. A video shows Mahajan collapsing during his performance. Upon recognizing the emergency, fellow actors quickly responded, and the performance was stopped. Mahajan was rushed to Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College and Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Swapan Mahajan, President of the Shri Ramleela Club, Chamba, confirmed the death and expressed his grief. Mahajan had been a part of the Ramleela for many years, regularly playing the roles of Raja Dashrath and Ravana. Other members of the club also paid tribute, remembering his long-standing commitment to the event. The incident occurred around 8:30 PM on Tuesday. Mahajan, in the role of King Dashrath, was speaking his lines when he began to lose consciousness and leaned to his left. His fellow actors soon understood that he was in distress. The audience was shocked as the show was brought to an immediate halt. A similar, tragic incident was reported previously, where an actor playing Lord Ram in Delhi also died on stage during a Ramleela.